Monday, April 11, 2011

ARTIST FEATURE, "GABRIELLE SOLAIR, NOT THAT GIRL" EP

No-nonsense logic, modest-middle-class values, and beer-drinking companionship are as American as apple pie in King of the Hill's fictional Arlen, Texas. Add an RV lot. Add a Demolition Derby with a six-car pileup. Add ten grills simultaneously smoking meat by the slab. Add 2800 patriotic Southerners, sitting spellbound on metal bleachers awaiting the singing of the National Anthem, and that is the unlikely setting in which you might be bound to find sixteen-year-old, singer-songwriter Gabrielle Solair.

Discovered at age nine in Fort Myers, Florida by vocal coach, Luis Andrade, Gabrielle peaked in the Fort Myers area by age twelve. Moving to Atlanta, Georgia, producer Elvis William introduced her to the ins and outs of studio recording. Peaking again, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she has been under the instruction of vocal guru Brett Manning of Singing Success fame. For the last year Gabrielle has been actively writing for and recording her first EP, Not That Girl.

It is an understatement to say that Gabrielle Solair is wanted by the music industry. She has run the gauntlet of A & R scouts, been sought after by numerous independent producers, and applauded by labels like Capital Records. At sixteen Gabrielle has learned to distinguish mild interest from engaged commitment and flattery from genuine appreciation. Most importantly she has learned that commitment to her talent is a way of life. It cannot hinge upon the attention (or lack thereof) of others.

I have often wondered why Gabrielle has not taken the conventional route by sinking thousands of mandatory dollars into the corporate, music machine like thousands of other eager musicians who want to find the shortest route to showcase their stagecraft. I have discovered Gabrielle to be a deep brooder, an emotional philosopher, a mature thinker who finds comfort in her oxymoronic disposition, her indie oddities. Gabrielle is happy with the way she is. Were she That Girl, who knows how washed out she might be?

1 comment:

I love the song "Not that girl". Gabrielle is not only a great singer-songwriter, but an impressive girl. Her commitment to her music is far beyond her age. She is a mature girl that reaches for the stars! Love her personality and loving heart. Watch this one...she's going places, this is her passion and she is going for it! M. Brown